Hockey playoffs: Wolverines draw tough assignment with Steelheads

A week after their first-ever franchise playoff series victory, the Whitefish Wolverines have another hurdle to overcome — a second-round matchup with the three-time defending Thorne Cup champion Idaho Junior Steelheads.

The Game 1 puck drops at the McCall Ice Center in Idaho tonight at 7.

To say the Idaho Junior Steelheads dominated the Western States Hockey League regular season would be an understatement.

In the 28-team league, no club collected more points than the Junior Steelheads. Capturing a league-high 42 wins, Idaho lost just four games in the 2014-15 campaign, two of which came after regulation.

It’s the second time in three years the Junior Steelheads have won the WSHL regular season point total.

“Skill is good to have but when will out works the skill, the will is always going to win. But if have both skill and will, like Idaho, that’s a tough team to beat,” Whitefish coach Joakim Falt said.

That doesn’t mean the Wolverines are lacking confidence.

Of their four losses, the Steelheads dropped just one game at home in regulation — a 6-1 defeat to the visiting Wolverines.

Chris Cutshall, Brett Fernandez and Riley Ingalls each scored two goals in that Wolverines’ victory and goalie Brendan Schultz allowed just a single goal, stopping 31 of the 32 shots he faced.

Cutshall currently leads Whitefish in playoff points with five. He scored three goals and added two assists in the Wolverines’ series win over the Butte Cobras. Fernandez is next with four points, just one goal behind Cutshall.

“Cutshall wanted to play another week and the way he played against Butte showed it. He’s one of our best players in the playoffs right now. He’s tough to play against,” Falt said.

“You’ve got to produce now. All of our top guys need to be productive. We’re not going to win out there if we score one or two goals. We’re going to need production and good defense, and that comes with good goaltending.”

While it was Whitefish’s only victory in six regular-season meetings between the two clubs, anything can happen in a short three-game series.

“It’s going to come down to what team wants this. Who wants to win the series and who wants to move on,” Falt said.

“You know that they are going to be a handful, but that’s good. I’m not scared at all about Idaho, really. It is what it is. Everybody puts the equipment on the same way. You have to go out there and do your best.”